2000
#5,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,646
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.09
Rare Last name
Blood
An English surname derived from a nickname referring to a person with a ruddy or sanguine complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,455 Americans carry the last name Blood. That puts it at #5,903 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blood surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Blood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 53,099
Census rank
#5,903
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,629 bearers of the surname Blood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5903rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blood, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blood
The surname Blood has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "blod," which means "blood." The name may have been given to individuals with a ruddy or reddish complexion or perhaps as a descriptive name for someone who had a bloody occupation, such as a butcher or a soldier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blood can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198, where a person named Richard Blod was listed. The name also appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a John le Blod is mentioned.
The Blood surname is also associated with various place names in England, such as Blood Hill in Somerset and Blood Alley in London. These place names may have influenced the adoption of the surname by individuals residing in those areas.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name Blood was Sir Thomas Blood (1618-1680), an Irish adventurer and conspirator who attempted to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London in 1671. Despite his audacious plot, he was later pardoned by King Charles II.
Another prominent individual with the surname Blood was Bindon Blood (1842-1940), a British naval officer and author. He served in the Royal Navy and wrote several books on naval history and strategy.
The Blood surname also has connections to the United States, where it was brought by early English settlers. One notable American with this surname was Thomas Blood Jr. (1617-1689), a colonial governor of Virginia who played a significant role in the colony's development.
In the literary world, Cyril Blood (1886-1976) was a British writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and works of fiction during the early 20th century.
Another individual of note was William Bindon Blood (1849-1922), an English Anglican priest and historian who wrote extensively on the history of the Church of England and the Oxford Movement.
Throughout history, the Blood surname has been associated with various professions, from military personnel and clergymen to writers and scholars, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blood
Among Census respondents with the surname Blood, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Blood bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Blood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 5,082
- Two or more races3.3% · 188
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 164
- Black or African American2.0% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blood
Blood appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,770
+124 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Down 324 places
2020
#5,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,629
-141 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Up 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,640 | 5,646 | 2.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,964 | 5,770 | 1.96 | +124 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 324 places |
| 2020 | #5,903 | 5,629 | 1.88 | -141 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 61 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Blood surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,964 | #5,903 | 1.0% |
| Count | 5,770 | 5,629 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.96 | 1.88 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blood bearers went from 5,770 to 5,629 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,964 to #5,903.
FAQ
Blood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blood?
Name Census estimates that about 6,455 living Americans carry the surname Blood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,099 residents.
How common is Blood?
Blood ranks #5,903 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,629 people with the surname Blood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Blood.
Has Blood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blood went from 5,770 recorded bearers to 5,629. That is a decrease of 141 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,964 to #5,903.
What does the Census say about the background of Blood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blood, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Blood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (5,082 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Blood (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Blood mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname referring to a person with a ruddy or sanguine complexion. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Blood (1.88 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Blood?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.